Another day, another update for Minecraft is slated for release, and this next release is the 1.21.6 update titled “Chase the Skies”. Following the new trend of minor updates now containing new content, 1.21.6 will deliver a few new additions to the game - nothing too big, but nothing too small.

Not-so-Ghastly Ghasts

The biggest change to come in Chase the Skies is the addition of a new mob. Of course, it’s not completely new and original, but it is still something new to come to the game.

What could this be?

First thing you will notice are these new creature-like Blocks. These little Blocks aren’t just any old Block, but something new for players to interact with. This shriveled grey block is, in fact, a little Dried Ghast, and it does something quite interesting when submerged in water. You’ll find these scattered around fossils or from bartering with a Piglin.

Give it a good soak.

You can take these Dried Ghasts away with you, but what do you do with them? As a Dried Ghast, the first thing to come to mind is to water them, give them a bit of hydration. To hydrate a Dried Ghast, the Block will need to be submerged in water. At first, it won’t seem to do anything, but have patience, the Dried Ghast will slowly but surely regain life. After about 5 minutes, the Dried Ghast will start to show signs of improvement as it brightens up and a little smile begins to form.

After 20 minutes of patience in the water, your Dried Ghast will burst to life, now turning into a little Happy Ghastling.

The new Ghast of Chase the Skies.

Of course, the nurturing process of your new Ghast friend is not over. Yes, I said Ghast “friend” because these new Ghasts added to the Chase the Skies update are your new companions. After some time, your Ghastling will mature into a Happy Ghast, and this is where the fun begins.

The biggest feature of Chase the Skies is that there’s a new way to travel the world: by air. Once you’ve nurtured and raised your Happy Ghast, it’s time to take to the skies. This is where the new Harness item comes in, allowing for you to ride atop and soar around the air. Now, this ability to fly around isn’t just for one player. Up to four players can ride on a single Happy Ghast, so now you and your group can travel the world together.

Quality of Life Changes

With this update as well comes some smaller additions and changes to the game.

Music Disc - Tears

Time to add some more music to your mixtape (does anyone know what that is?), a new Music Disc has been added. This one is called Tears, and it can drop from a Ghast that has been slain by a fireball deflected back at it.

At least it doesn’t sound like Ghast screams.

Saddles now available in the Crafting Table

For the longest time, Saddles were considered dungeon loot. They were elusive, hard to find, and hard to obtain due to where they could be found. Now, Saddles are no longer loot items, but an item that can be crafted with 3 Leather and an Iron Ingot.

Want to remove a Saddle from a mob? You can now do so by using Shears.

Find my Friends with the Locator Bar

New for multiplayer sessions is the Locator Bar. Found where the XP bar is, the Locator Bar is a way to find players around you, showing as small, coloured indicators. Like Maps, the bar will highlight nearby players in front of you, each dotted as a coloured waypoint. These waypoints will change in size depending on how far away players are, as well as display an arrow if they are significantly higher or lower than you.

The Locator Bar in action, showing two players highlighted with a waypoint each. Source: Minecraft.net “Test the new player locator bar” (https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/test-the-new-player-locator-bar)

These only work on visible players, so to hide from those looking for you, there are a few methods. Potions of Invisibility, sneaking, or wearing a Carved Pumpkins are ways to avoid showing up on a Locator Bar.

…and More!

These smaller updates always introduce a plethora of smaller changes that don’t need introducing, such as changes to crafting recipes, the names of sound events, and how certain items behave. Leads no longer require a Slime Ball to craft and only need String, Splash Potions now distribute their effectiveness based on how far away an entity was from the thrown potion, and Firework Rockets will always boost players if they are gliding with an Elytra.

Want to check out the new update with your friends when the update drops? Simply check out the Game Settings of your vanilla Minecraft server and update the version to 1.21.6. Looking to create a new server? Get started with our cheapest plan here and create a new Minecraft server!